You want to be properly protected, as exposure to both types of rays increases your risk of skin cancer!

Luckily, you will find broad spectrum sunscreens easily! They are plentiful and easy to spot.

Take a look at a sunscreen’s label for words like ‘broad spectrum’ or ‘UVA/B,’ clearly indicating sufficient protection.

You can also search the ingredients list for zinc oxide. Sunscreens with zinc oxide protect against the full range of UVA/B rays and are always a safe choice for psoriasis!

Best SPF for psoriasis

If you’re not completely clear on the meaning of the Sun Protection Factor (SPF), now is as good a time as any to learn!

Put simply, SPF tells you what fraction of the sun’s rays will reach your skin if you have properly applied the sunscreen.

So if you’re wearing a sunscreen with an SPF rating of 30, then only 1/30th of the sun’s rays will reach your skin. That sounds too good to be true, right? Just be sure not to get carried away!

Wearing a sunscreen with an SPF rating of 30 does not mean that you can stay in the sun 30 times longer than if you weren’t wearing sunscreen. Don’t test this, or your sensitive skin might end up with a painful burn!

Take a look at the table below to better understand the protection you get with different SPF ratings.

SPF Rating

UVB Protection

None

0%

2

50%

15

93%

30

97%

50

98%

100

99%

Surprised at all by what you see?

The truth is that there is a very small difference between an SPF rating of 30 and one of 100. How can you be sure which to choose?

SimplySunSafe agrees with the FDA’s suggestion, and recommends that you choose sunscreens with SPF ratings no lower than 30 and no greater than 50.

No matter what SPF rating you choose, be sure to reapply at least every two hours, especially when sunbathing for your psoriasis.

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The health and medical information on our website is not intended to take the place of advice or treatment from health care professionals. It is also not intended to substitute for the users’ relationships with their own health care/pharmaceutical providers.